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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821901">lay it out straight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuwah/pseuds/naruto%20phase'>naruto phase (kuwah)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:20:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuwah/pseuds/naruto%20phase</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After entering his first relationship, Naruto realizes something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>lay it out straight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It didn't take long for Naruto to realize that whatever he felt for Hinata wasn't ‘love.’ At least, not the kind of love that he was supposed to feel. It wasn't the kind of love that Sakura would talk to him about. It wasn't the kind of love that characters would describe in movies. Hinata was his friend, and spending two weeks with her after the whole Toneri business, he realized that he felt the same way around her as he did with Sakura and Kiba and Lee and all his other friends. It was important, but it wasn't spectacularly special.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Just tell her. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That's what Sasuke told him when he sent a letter asking for some help. It was just that—three words—but it was enough to relax him, give him some confidence. The reply had been quick. Sasuke must've been near the village for the message to arrive so fast. Naruto would have to go and… say something to him. In person. ‘Thank you,’ maybe, but that seemed kind of weird.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don't feel the same way about you as you do about me,” he said that very night after dragging Hinata out to Ichiraku. He'd been hinting at the whole time they'd been eating. Hinata hadn't even been angry. She'd given him a sad smile and told him that she had figured as much. She'd known but she'd been hopeful. It was better to end this before it became normal.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> I told her</em>, Naruto said to start off his next letter. <em> Wait for me</em>, he wrote to end it, starting to realize something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was excited to see Sasuke. He woke up in the morning with nothing but energy. Relief that he was no longer fooling himself or Hinata and happy because—because <em> Sasuke</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Naruto packed a bag and was out of the village in no time, following the trace of Sasuke's chakra that he could feel through their bond. It was a strange one, he'd felt it since the war, but it was nice. The feel of it was comforting when he was alone. It was a boost of energy on his worst days. He didn't know if it was something that the old Sage had done or Sasuke's chakra itself, but he was so, so thankful for it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Moron,” Sasuke said, the tiniest of smiles on his lips. There it was; the light, fluttery feeling back in his stomach. It was so weird and wonderful and <em> Sasuke's smiling because of </em> me<em>. I haven't seen him for two years and— </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your hair!” Naruto noticed immediately. How could he not? It covered half of Sasuke's face by now. It must be to cover the rinnegan, like Kakashi-sensei had done with his sharingan. “Can you not turn it off?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sasuke rolled his eyes but he was still smiling. “You cut yours,” he pointed out, ignoring the question. “You still don't look like less of an idiot, if that's what you were going for.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, you—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why do you have a bag?” Sasuke asked. His tone had completely shifted, all the smugness and mockery gone. Naruto moved it into his artificial hand, carefully holding Sasuke's gaze. He hadn't exactly warned the bastard, so he supposed any bad reaction was his own fault.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I…” He stepped a little closer, the fluttering in his stomach erupting into something a hundred times stronger. “I want to come with you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sasuke stared at him then, analysing. Naruto wasn't sure whether to explain himself further or not, fighting a war with himself in his mind until Sasuke released a short breath. There was exasperation in his expression. Naruto grinned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know we're not going to visit,” Sasuke warned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It's probably detrimental if you want to be Hokage.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don't mind.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sasuke paused, narrowing his eyes just slightly. “Why would you leave that?” he asked, as if he really didn't know. Naruto had told him so many times but Sasuke just <em> didn't get it</em>. Then again, he was the one who'd always twisted the feeling into something it wasn't, labeling it incorrectly. Maybe he was the reason Sasuke was still confused.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You're important to me,” Naruto said. It had been Sasuke, after all, who'd told him to lay everything out straight. “You make me a lot happier than the hat ever could. When I said I didn't like Hinata, I obviously had something to compare to my feelings for her.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sasuke's lips parted to say something, but no sound came out. His eyebrows scrunched together, but he didn't move otherwise. Naruto waited, but Sasuke took far too much time to think.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I come?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sasuke nodded, apparently still at a loss for words. He glanced between Naruto and the grass beneath them a few times before deciding on something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So… it's not friends, then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Naruto had to laugh at that. “I guess that's my fault. It took me a while to realize that I don't share pain with any friend, y'know. You—You're a lot more than that to me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You've always been more than that to me,” Sasuke said, looking back at the floor as if he had just admitted something unimaginable. A silence settled over them. Then Sasuke <em> laughed</em>. “I never thought I'd really say that,” he said in between the little sounds, and Naruto's heart felt like it was going to burst. It was so quiet but it was so <em> amazing </em>and the carefree smile made him look so—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know, I've kissed a couple of girls before, but I've never—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Moron,” Sasuke said lightly, shaking his head as if Naruto was a real dumbass. The tips of his ears were tinged with pink. “Hurry up.” He didn't even spare Naruto a glance as he jumped into the trees, leading them to wherever they were going.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The fluttering in Naruto's stomach settled into a warm satisfaction. This was only the start and it was already a little mind-blowing. <em> Someday</em>, he thought. <em> I'm gonna get that bastard to kiss me. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i wrote this like last year and was going through my stuff and found it and didnt even remember writing it lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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